GB2331786A

GB2331786A - Reinforced lock keep

Info

Publication number: GB2331786A
Application number: GB9825246A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert George Milne
Original assignee: Paddock Fabrications Ltd
Current assignee: Paddock Fabrications Ltd
Priority date: 1997-11-21
Filing date: 1998-11-19
Publication date: 1999-06-02
Also published as: GB9724561D0; GB9825246D0

Abstract

A lock keep comprising a member (11) arranged to be secured to the jamb of a door/window or like assembly and having therein an aperture (12) for receiving a bolt of the associated locking mechanism, and, a reinforcing plate (15) having therein an aperture (16) corresponding to the aperture of said member, said reinforcing plate being secured in use to said member with their apertures aligned whereby the bolt is engageable simultaneously with the front edges of both apertures, and, said reinforcing plate having means (15b; 15c) cooperating with an edge region (11b; 11c) of the member.

Description

2331786 1 LOCKING MECHANISM This invention relates to a keep for a door or

window locking mechanism, preferably but not exclusively a multi-point locking mechanism.

Conventional keeps are formed from either flat mild steel strip, or shallow mild steel channel and have one or more apertures for receiving dead bolts, hook bolts, latch bolts and the like of the locking mechanism. For convenience it is usual to refer to a keep having front and rear edges, the front edge being the edge which, when the keep is secured to the fixed jamb, is presented to the door or window as closing movement takes place, the opposite edge of the keep thus being the rear edge. Generally the apertures in the keep are elongate rectangular apertures and it is found that some conventional keeps exhibit a weakness when a bursting force is applied to open the door or window in its locked condition. The bolt which extends from the locking mechanism into the aperture of the keep transmits the bursting load to the keep deforming, or even fracturing, the material of the keep at its front edge region. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lock keep in which this disadvantage is minimised or obviated.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a lock keep comprising a member arranged to be secured to the jamb of a door/window or like assembly and having therein an aperture for receiving a bolt of the associated locking mechanism, and, a reinforcing plate having therein an aperture corresponding to the aperture of said member, said reinforcing plate being secured in use to said member with at least the front edges of their apertures aligned for simultaneous engagement by said bolt.

2 Preferably said reinforcing plate has means cooperating with an edge region of the member.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a lock keep comprising a member arranged to be secured to the jamb of a door/window or like assembly and having therein an aperture for receiving a bolt of the associated locking mechanism, and, a reinforcing plate secured to said member, the reinforcing plate having an aperture therein which is aligned with the aperture in said member and through which the bolt extends in use, said reinforcing plate having means cooperating with an edge region of the member.

Preferably said means of said reinforcing plate is provided at the front edge of the plate and cooperates with the corresponding edge of the said member to support said edge region of said member.

Preferably said means of said reinforcing plate comprises an integral upstanding flange at the plate front edge, the flange overlying and cooperating with the corresponding edge of said member.

Alternatively said means of said reinforcing plate is provided at the rear edge of the plate and cooperates with the corresponding edge of the said member to distribute bursting load applied to the reinforcing plate to the rear edge of said member.

Preferably said means of said reinforcing plate comprises an integral upstanding flange at the plate rear edge, the flange overlying and cooperating with the corresponding edge of said member.

3 Most preferably said reinforcing plate is of shallow channel-shaped crosssection having flanges upstanding at its front and rear edges, said member being received between said flanges.

Desirably said member is the base wall of a shallow channel section and said means of the reinforcing plate cooperates with the or each of the front and rear edge flanges of that section.

Preferably the reinforcing plate is of channel section which embraces the channel section defining said member.

Desirably the reinforcing plate is riveted to said member.

Desirably at least one of the fixing screws which, in use, fixes said member to the jamb passes also through the reinforcing plate so as to assist in securing the reinforcing plate to said member.

One example of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a lock keep; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the keep of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an inverted plan view of the reinforcing plate of the keep of Figure 1; Figure 4 is an end view of the plate shown in Figure 3; and, 4 Figure 5 is a plan view of a modification.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, the lock keep comprises an elongate mild steel member 11 of channel-shaped cross- section consisting of a base wall 1 la and upstanding parallel flanges 1 1b, 1 lc at opposite longitudinal edges thereof. Conveniently the member 11 is formed by a pressing operation from flat mild steel strip which in addition to forming the integral flanges 11 bl 1 1c., produces a plurality of apertures in the base wall 1 l a including a rectangular dead bolt receiving aperture 12 and circular countersunk fixing apertures 13 for receiving screws or bolts whereby the member 11 is secured in use to an associated door or window jamb or the like. In the example illustrated in the drawings the keep is intended for association with a dead bolt of the locking mechanism, which is received in the aperture 12, and also for association with a latch bolt of the locking mechanism received in the region 14 of the keep. However, the region 14 of the keep is of no relevance to the present invention and can be ignored.

In the example illustrated the flange 1 l b would be presented towards the door or window as the door or window closes and so can be referred to as being at the front edge of the member. It follows therefore that the flange 11 c can be said to be at the rear edge of the member. In a conventional keep it is found that the equivalent of the member 11 might fail in the region of the flange 11 b adjacent the aperture 12 when subjected to a bursting load (a load applied to the keep by the bolt when an attempt is made to force open the locked door). Accordingly, in accordance with the present invention there is provided a reinforcing plate 15 which is secured to the member 11.

The reinforcing plate 15 is in the form of a metal member of shallow channel-shaped cross-section having a planar base wall 15a and parallel upstanding integral flanges 15b and 15c. The width between the flanges 15b, 15c is such that the member 11 can be received as a close fit therebetween such that the inner face of the flange 1 5b coacts with the outer face of the flange 1 lb and the inner face of the flange 15c coacts with the outer face of the flange 11 c. The overall length of the plate 15 significantly exceeds the length of the rectangular aperture 12 in the member 11, and the wall 15a of the plate 15 has an aperture 16 corresponding in size, shape and location to the aperture 12 in the member 11, the apertures 16 and 12 aligning when the plate 15 is secured in position on the member 11 such that a lock dead bolt passes through both apertures in the locked position. As the apertures 12, 16 are aligned and correspond in size, shape and location, it will be understood that the lock dead bolt will engage the aligned front edges of both apertures simultaneously if the door is urged towards an open position with the lock in a locked condition.

Above and below the aperture 12 the plate 15 is formed with circular fixing apertures 17, 18 respectively. In use the plate 15 is secured to the plate 11 by a rivet which passes through the aperture 18 of the plate 15 and an aperture 18a in the member 11. The aperture 17 of the plate 15 aligns with one of the fixing apertures 13 of the plate 11 so that a fixing screw securing the keep to the jamb in use passes through the aperture 17 and the aperture 13 and thus assists in securing the plate 15 to the member 11. If desired however additional or alternative fixings can be provided to locate and secure the plate 15 on the member 11.

6 It will be recognised that in use the front flange 1 5b supports the flange 11 b in the region of the apertures 16, 12 to resist distortion during the application of bursting load. Furthermore, the rear flange 15c coacts with the flange 1 '1 c during the application of bursting loads to distribute the bursting load along part of the flange 11 c.

Figure 5 illustrates an arrangement in which the reinforcing plate 115 is wider than the keep member 111 and has its front flange 11 5b engaged with the front f lange 111 b of the member 111 while its f lange 11 Sc is spaced from the rear edge of the member 111. The plate 115 has four fixing holes, two of which align with fixing holes of the member 111 and receive screws which secure the plate 115 to the member 111 and secure the two to thejamb of the door. The remaining two holes of the plate 115 receive screws which extend into the jamb of the door without coacting with the member 111. While significant strengthening of the member by the plate can be achieved by the coaction of the plate's front flange alone with the member (Figure 5), or by the coaction of the plate's rear flange alone with the member 11, it is preferred to utilize a plate having front and rear edge flanges both coacting with respective edges of the member (Figures 1 to 4).

It will be recognised that in some arrangements the member 11 may be a planar strip without upstanding flanges 11 b 11 c, and in such an arrangement the height of the flanges 15b. 1 Sc is reduced accordingly so that they cooperate with the side edges of the strip.

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Claims

1. A lock keep comprising a member arranged to be secured to the jamb of a door/window or like assembly and having therein an aperture for receiving a bolt of the associated locking mechanism, and, a reinforcing plate having therein an aperture corresponding to the aperture of said member. said reinforcing plate being secured in use to said member with at least the front edges of their apertures aligned for simultaneous engagement by said bolt.

2. A lock keep as claimed in Claim, 1 wherein said reinforcing plate has means cooperating with an edge region of the member.

3. A lock keep comprising a member arranged to be secured to the jamb of a door/window or like assembly and having therein an aperture for receiving a bolt of the associated locking mechanism, and, a reinforcing plate having therein an aperture corresponding to the aperture of said member, said reinforcing plate being secured in use to said member with their apertures aligned to receive said bolt, and, said reinforcing plate having means cooperating with an edge region of the member.

4. A lock keep as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein said means of said reinforcing plate is provided at the front edge of the plate and cooperates with the corresponding edge of the said member to support said edge region of said member.

5. A lock keep as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said means of said reinforcing plate comprises an integral upstanding flange at the plate front 8 edge, the flange overlying and cooperating with the corresponding edge of said member.

6. A lock keep as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein said means of said reinforcing plate is provided at the rear edge of the plate and cooperates with the corresponding edge of the said member to distribute bursting load applied to the reinforcing plate to the rear edge of said member.

7. A lock keep as claimed in Claim 6, wherein said means of said reinforcing plate comprises an integral upstanding flange at the plate rear edge, the flange overlying and cooperating with the corresponding edge of said member.

8. A lock keep as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said reinforcing plate is of shallow channel-shaped cross-section having flanges upstanding at its front and rear edges, said member being received between said flanges.

9. A lock keep as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said member is the base wall of a shallow channel section and said means of the reinforcing plate cooperates with the or each of the front and rear edge flanges of that section.

10. A lock keep as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the reinforcing plate is of channel section which embraces the channel section defining said member.

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11. A lock keep as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reinforcing plate is riveted to said member.

12. A lock keep as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the fixing screws which, in use, fixes said member to the jamb passes also through the reinforcing plate so as to assist in securing the reinforcing plate to said member.

13. A lock keep substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.

14. A lock keep substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.